Advances in networking, processor speed, and video controllers have made possible the streaming of live or previously recorded content, including videos and/or audio recordings of lectures and courses, to the computers of remote users. This streaming and other like kinds of audiovisual content delivery is often referred to as a “web cast.” The educational and professional uses of web casts abound. Web casts may be used by industry experts to share their knowledge, by educational institutions to broaden their course offerings, and by persons seeking to fulfill professional education requirements. By allowing remote users to watch, listen to, and even participate in web casts, the number of persons that can be reached by a given lecture or course is greatly enhanced (often at a reduced cost).
Online courses also provide remote users with facilities to meet educational needs and professional education requirements. Such courses, however, often require an intensive amount of time and energy to construct, and may not be as readily available as web casts. Further, online courses often do not attract participation by the same experts that web casts do, because of the greater amount of time and energy required to create an online course.
Web casts, however, can only provide interactivity with remote users if the web casts are live, unlike online courses, which are almost always interactive.